Confirmed: Aston Villa 2015-16 Premier League fixtures

After enduring a fifth straight relegation battle last season, Aston Villa fans will be hoping that Tim Sherwood’s first full campaign in charge proves the start of a turnaround in fortunes for the club.

The former Tottenham Hotspur head coach helped guide the club out of crisis to a 17th-place finish after replacing Paul Lambert at the helm for the final 13 Premier League games of the 2014-15 season and, having introduced a fresh attacking approach in the process, the claret and blue faithful are optimistic about what the team can achieve under his stewardship.

With the chance to now remodel the squad to his liking over the summer, a somewhat different-looking line-up could be taking to the pitch for the first match of next term when Sherwood’s men travel to top-flight newcomers Bournemouth looking to set the tone for the 2015-16 season.

Their Villa Park opener against Manchester United should prove a somewhat sterner test but, with a run of fixtures against Crystal Palace, Sunderland, Leicester City and West Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion following, there is a prime chance to get some early points on the board.

August 8: Bournemouth (A)

August 15: Manchester United (H)

August 22: Crystal Palace (A)

August 29: Sunderland (H)

September 12: Leicester City (A)

September 19: West Bromwich Albion (H)

September 26: Liverpool (A)

October 3: Stoke City (H)

October 17: Chelsea (A)

October 24: Swansea City (H)

October 31: Tottenham Hotspur (A)

November 7: Manchester City (H)

November 21: Everton (A)

November 28: Watford (H)

December 5: Southampton (A)

December 12: Arsenal (H)

December 19: Newcastle United (A)

December 26: West Ham United (H)

December 28: Norwich City (A)

January 2: Sunderland (A)

January 12: Crystal Palace (H)

January 16: Leicester City (H)

January 23: West Bromwich Albion (A)

February 2: West Ham United (A)

February 6: Norwich City (H)

February 13: Liverpool (H)

February 27: Stoke City (A)

March 1: Everton (H)

March 5: Manchester City (H)

March 12: Tottenham Hotspur (H)

March 19: Swansea City (A)

April 2: Chelsea (H)

April 9: Bournemouth (H)

April 16: Manchester United (A)

April 23: Southampton (H)

April 30: Watford (A)

May 7: Newcastle United (H)

May 15: Arsenal (A)

However, if a suitable replacement cannot be found in the event of a mooted Christian Benteke departure then, with the final seven fixtures of the season including meetings with Chelsea, United and Arsenal, there could be another nervous finish ahead.

Freddie Shires

Freddie is a freelance sports writer, having recently completed an MA in Sports Journalism at St. Mary’s University, Twickenham. With an especially keen interest in all things American sports-related, he has written extensively about the NFL, MLS and the U.S. national team for various sites.